New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-31
THE VEDDER BILL VETO.

Governor Hill has kept his record straight by
vetoing the Vedder bill. This is the fourth
veto of bills which would have restricted the
sale of liquor From suppressing the little
rum-mill in the Capitol building to champion
ing the cause of the whskey men who want to
sell to lunatics; from that piece OF vigilance on
behalf of drunkard making to the veto or the
Crosby bill, and thence to the present CHAR
acteristic estate paper" d. b. Hill has done
what in him lay to prove the loyalty OF his at
tachment to the Rum Power, and his contempt
for the decent sentiment of the State. His
veto of the Vedder bill is a curious tumble OF
Misrepresentation and special pleading. he
does not hesitate to misstate facts
IN seeking precedents for his action,
though his servitude to the rumsellers IS SO no.
torious that it was hardly worth his while TO pre-
tend reasons for proceeding which every one
knows to be part and parcel of his contract
with these people 1t is to be observed, how
ever. that he displays some caution at one
point and for him it was probably necessary
While denying that the Vedder bill is temper
ance measure he avoids any expression OF opln-
ion upon temperance reform remembering no
doubt that he would have had to veto any
temperance measure brought before him, no
matter how immaculate it might have been.
HIS argument concerning the question OF
uniformity of taxation is frivolous and disln-
genuous. Hefollows evidently the dishonest and
untrue assertion of a So called independent
paper. to the effect that liquor taxation In all
other States is uniform. This assertion Is
false. The truth is that in all of the States
cited by the Governor, namely, Ohio, Michigan,
Texas and Illinois, anything but uniformity of
taxation exists. For while they have
State general law they all have local
license also, which under the local OPP
ton system which obtains In these
States creates radical differences of liquor taxa
ton. Moreover there are States mot mentioned
by the GOVERNOR, such as as Connecticut, for
instance, where quite as marked differences
exist in the State taxes as the Vedder bill
provides. When, therefore, the Governor says
"this bill is purposely made unlike the -. law
of these other States" he is guilty of what
must be regarded as deliberate misstatement,
and that is more than venia fault In an Ex-
ecutive document, even though the author Is
d. b. fill.
His second objection, that the taxes raised go
into the State instead of the local treasury, has
been fully dealt with by THE TRIBUNE during
the discussion of the Vedder bill. 1t is not
sound but humbugging objection, and it is
not true that no other State has adopted the
principle. In Texas the tax goes wholly into
the State treasury. In Arkansas nearly half
goes into the State treasury, and In other
States similar arrangement prevails. To fol-
low the Governor through all his mis-
representations, however, would tax our
space far beyond any justification to be
found in the value of the veto. Its only signifi-
canoe consists in the further proof it affords OF
the abect submission of the present Executive
to the Rum Power. So wholly is he at the
mercy of that power that he has been forced to
veto bill which would have added between
So, ZOO, 900 and $4. 600, 900 to the revenue OF
the State; which would have relieved the tax
| PAYERS generally which would have operated as
| a temperance reform law. and have diminished
| the number of the most dangerous saloons.
| The hardihoOd Of the Governor is stnkingly
shown in his suggestion of a mode by which
the late Legislature might have increased the
| State revenues without interfering with the
rumsellers. In effect he says that he would
cheerfully have signed bill cOnfiscatng
| the property of the cOrporations-whose prop
| erty represents sober thrift and brains and
energy but he cannot possibly put his name to
O measure which threatens the most mis-
chievous, crime and poverty breeding, democrat
izing and brutalizing business under the sun.
| 1t cannot be believed that he meant to be so
| frank, but his words are on record, and they
with his deeds will form the basis of the popu-
lar judgment upon him. Meantime the Repub-
lican party has done its duty.